Satellite navigation systems in cars can be hijacked remotely with relative ease, allowing hackers to feed drivers bogus directions, two experts told a major security conference in Las Vegas yesterday. The hack works on in-car Radio Data System (RDS) capable devices that are standard in Europe, and becoming increasingly common in North America.
While navigation systems plot routes using satellites and stored maps, the RDS-capable devices also receive perpetual updates about traffic accidents, road closures or weather conditions that sometimes call for setting new courses. The updated information is sent in packets of computer code on FM radio frequencies.
“We can see what is going on and change the destination,” Andrea Barisani said. “We can create bad weather, fresh snow, full car parks, accidents…close bridges, roads or tunnels, and the SatNav will pop-up a detour.” The two experts said they discovered pre-programmed alerts they could trigger, among them the messages “air raid,” “bomb,” “bull fight,” and “boxing match.”
[from AFP via Yahoo]
